Posted on 05/28/2003 1:00:57 PM PDT by Drew68
By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In the words of one of their songs, Dancing Days are here again for fans of Led Zeppelin.
Defunct for almost 23 years, the pioneering English band behind such hard rock classics as "Stairway to Heaven" and "Kashmir (news - web sites)" has cleaned out its vaults to issue eight hours of previously unreleased live material on DVD and CD.
The "Led Zeppelin DVD" contains footage from four tours spanning 1970 to 1979; the CD "How The West Was Won" combines two Los Angeles shows from 1972 to replicate a single concert.
Remarkably, the band's leader and guitarist, Jimmy Page (news), who compiled the releases, says he remembers all the concerts as if they were yesterday.
"To actually go through it bit by bit and hear sections of it, you go, 'Yeah, yeah, that's really good' or 'I played really well there' or 'My God, that's embarrassing, that bit I played then,"' Page, 58, said in an interview.
Both the DVD and CD were released this week with Page, singer Robert Plant (news), 53, and keyboardist/bassist John Paul Jones (news), 56, embarking on a publicity blitz. Ironically, Led Zeppelin shunned such chores during its 12-year reign, preferring to let the music speak for itself.
But rumors that the trio would play together came to naught. The band has reunited only twice since breaking up after the 1980 alcohol-related death of drummer John Bonham (news). Page and Plant toured and recorded together in the 1990s, to Jones' initial chagrin. These days, the threesome's relationship is more business than social, Page says.
"MAGICAL ELEMENT"
"There were four very different personalities anyway in Led Zeppelin, very different personalities," Page said. "But when they bonded musically, the four elements joined together, took on a fifth element -- a thing which is totally intangible and it can't be charted, which was that magical element."
Led Zeppelin's members fused folk and blues influences to create a genre known as heavy metal. The group's catalog, highlighted by their untitled 1971 album and 1975's "Physical Graffiti" has sold about 200 million copies worldwide.
But their strength was arguably live performances. They toured incessantly, setting new standards for ticket sales. Songs from the albums were radically reworked on stage.
The new CD boasts a 25-minute version of "Dazed and Confused," while Bonham drums relentlessly during the 19-minute "Moby Dick." Spontaneity was the key, which is why the band decided to call it a day rather than try to feign improvisation with a new drummer.
"You had to be totally, totally involved. It's like a sacrifice you were there for," Page said.
The DVD features songs from London's Royal Albert Hall (1970) and Earl's Court (1975), New York's Madison Square Garden (1973) and England's Knebworth Festival (1979). And that's it as far as live footage is concerned, Page says.
"We didn't have a documentary crew going round with us all the time. What would we do it for? We weren't a television band," Page said.
"A BIT OF A LAUGH"
Similarly, the only other audio footage in the vaults was from a university gig, which was done "for a bit of a laugh." Page vows it will never see the light of day because the band made so many mistakes. (Page did use some computer tricks to fix a few wrong chords on the newly released material.)
These days, Page divides his time between a historic London townhouse and a mansion in nearby Windsor. His post-Zeppelin career has been patchy, with highlights including a tour with the Black Crowes and recording a rap version of "Kashmir" with rapper Sean Combs. He says he's working on something "quite surprising" but declined to go into detail.
I screwed up - I meant to type DGCGCD. That's right - and so are you.
That piece was recorded in G Major (the way I play it) on "Houses of the Holy", and Page would perform it in A Major in concert (the way you play it).
Your tuning is a whole step above mine, but the fingerings are identical.
ROFL ! I caught them in 1977 at a Day on the Green in Oakland , Ca . Most certainly the 70's was the best decade for rock & roll . Looking forward to the new release !
"Disco Stu doesn't advertise."
If you played guitar you would never said that.
How that guy could play a note is beyond me, but he was OK. Live, their sound sucked---it sounded like they were in a giant garage, and Plant sang EVERYTHING an octave lower. I'd be interested to know if anyone else heard them live and if he did the same in their concerts.
I saw Cream on their pre-"farewell" tour. I had never in my life seen a drummer play for 20 minutes like Ginger Baker did. The great thing about a Cream/Hendrix/Vanilla Fudge concert was that they never did the songs the same way twice, and so a concert was a real experience, not just a rehash of the studio.
When Dlyan's new album turned out to be Nashville Skyline, and the hippies were bamfoozled, I just loved it.
With the background of Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Janis, Cream, and the Beatles in the background in 1968- 72
My sister was a "Beatlemaniac" who got a puzzled look on her face when "Revolver" came out and decided to change her allegiance to Paul Revere and The Raiders when "Sgt. Pepper's" completely buffaloed her.
After I wore out my copy, she didn't care that I snatched hers
Yeah, Pagey battled a wee bit of a heroin problem for a few years.
Not everything - but notably on "Rock and Roll", "Black Dog", and "The Song Remains The Same".
Well I, well I, well I just got into town today
To find my girl who's gone away
She took the Greyhound at the general store
I searched myself, I searched the town
When I finally did sit down
I find myself no wiser than before
She said we couldn't do no wrong
No other love could be so strong
She locked up my heart in her bottom drawer
Now she took my heart, she took my keys
From in my old blue dungarees
And I'll never go to Texas anymore
Now my baby's gone I don't know what to do
She took my love and walked right out the door
And if I ever find that girl I know one thing for sure
I'm gonna give her something like she never had before
I took her love at seventeen
A little late these days it seems
But they said heaven is well worth waiting for
I took her word, I took it all
Beneath the sign that said U-Haul
She left angels hangin' round for more, ah go!
(Guitar Solo)
Well, now my baby's gone I don't know what to do
She took my love and walked right out the door
And if I ever find that girl I know one thing for sure
I'm gonna give her something like she never had before
I thought I had it all sewn up
Our love, a plot, a pick-up truck
But folks said she was after something more
I never did quite understand
All that talk about rockin' bands
But they just rolled my doll right out the door
Ooh yeah, they just rolled my doll right out the door
Well, they just rolled my doll right out the door
I was glad to hear Townshend was vindicated from that little problem he found himself in a few months ago.
Nobody can destroy Gibsons quite like him!
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